No states in the U.S. had a top-10 warmest or coldest year in 2013. In Ohio, temperatures were largely normal, while it was a wetter-than-normal year. / National Climatic Data Center

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News Journal

On the weather radar, basically the entire state of Indiana was swathed in snow Thursday morning.

Some parts of the Hoosier State could receive 2 to 4 inches of snow today, and that snow, of course, is headed for Ohio, but this latest clipper system is weakening, so by the time its energy arrives in Richland County, probably after 4 p.m., accumulations are expected to be diminished.

We may receive only around an inch of snow here, but the timing around the evening rush hours could be something to watch for.

Snow showers will most likely be around for Friday as well, without amounting to much, while yet another, perhaps more significant, clipper system is forecast to arrive in these parts by Saturday. The track of Saturday’s system is highly uncertain, however, and there’s a possibility that most of its snow will veer south of us.

Turning to the temperature profile, we’re not expected to climb past the upper 20s for Thursday, courtesy of the low, gray ceiling. And each of these clippers will only serve to reinforce the cold pool that has settled over the Buckeye State for the next several days.

We may not make it out of the teens for a high on Friday, and Saturday won’t be much warmer. Although a fresh infusion of milder temperatures will pay us a visit on MLK Day, it looks like the polar vortex is coming back, sorry to say.

Next week’s new cold blast shouldn’t be as frigid as the last one we experienced earlier this month, but don’t be surprised to see the thermometer drop back below zero by midweek next week.

The National Climatic Data Center is out with its annual climate summary for 2013, and the numbers are sure to be good news for global-warming deniers. Last year was only the 37th warmest year in the U.S., where records go back 119 years. It was the coolest year since 2009. And here in Ohio temperatures were essentially normal.

It was a very wet 2013, however, both nationally and especially in the Buckeye State.

Below are the weather statistics for Wednesday, Jan. 15, at my location 4 miles north-northwest of Fredericktown, Ohio: